Staff Correspondent
The chief election commissioner, ATM Shamsul Huda, on Sunday directed the returning officers for upazila elections to suspend the balloting in any centre if law and order of the polling stations deteriorate or voters cannot cast their vote freely.
‘I asked the returning officers to suspend the polls of the centres where voters would not be able to cast vote freely and if law and order deteriorates,’ he told reporters coming out of a meeting.
The commission held the meeting with the representatives of all law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies, high officials of the home ministry and government officials concerned in the auditorium of the National Economic Council and reviewed law and order before the elections to 481 upazilas.
The commission asked the representatives of law enforcement agencies to take action against criminals, extortionists, goons and persons possessing illegal arms, irrespective of their political affiliations, before the upazila polls scheduled for January 22.
Shamsul said because of post-polls violence, the commission decided to deploy troops during January 20–24. He expected voter turnout in upazila elections would match that in the general elections.
According to the plan, troops will remain deployed from January 20 as ‘striking force’ while personnel of Bangladesh Rifles, Coast Guards, Rapid Action Battalion and Armed Police Battalion will fan out as mobile and ‘striking forces’ across the country from January 16 and will remain in the field till January 24.
A total of 8,131 candidates are contesting the upazila elections with 3,316 vying for the posts of chairman, 2,879 for vice-chairman and 1,936 for reserved seats for woman vice-chairman.
In keeping with the home ministry’s plan, 14 law enforcers, including one armed policeman and one armed Ansars member, will be deployed at each general polling station. The number will be 15, including two armed policemen and one armed Ansars member at each general polling station in hill tracts, on the islands and in haor regions. The number of armed police will be three at each important polling station in the areas.
Courtesy: newagebd.com
